Plural-record device



June 22 1926.

- J. F. SHOEMAKER PLURAL RECORD DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, 1923 HOHE GHS CO. CHICAGO, 1u.

Name

Address bln la m Jde N am e Gudrun- R-m omncvmpuny 'Rcaovd Home GAS cd. CHICAGO ILL imi/mw! Z/MJS M iler lto Jenn F. sHoEMAKEn,

venrrr-:N'1rgorFiel-3.

oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon iro norncm B'An-nirn CORPORATION, or CHICAGO, 'ILLIoIs I LURAL-nncon'n DEVICE.

Application led September 6, 1923. Serial No. 661,236.

- The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and useful article of manufacture adapted for the convenient 'provision of plural records for different persons, having parts so arranged that when the :device is used according to its purpose,'there is -a `minimum likelihood of misunderstanding or of fraudulent change in .the records. With this and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement .and combination of the various parts of my plural reco-rd device, whereby thel objects 'contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more 'fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, andV illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l shows a lperspective view of a pad of sheets ofthe kind embodying my inivention, bound to a back.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of and Figure-3'l shows a plan of the reverse side of the sheet. v v

The construction, utility and valuey of my invention will be made clearer by lillustratling brielyone ofthe problems, which it is intended to meet and solve.

one sheet,

Inthe case, forinstance, of public service? company supplyingV gas in a` city, the `common 4"practice is to have men or vboys read the' meters" and `take the reading in a notebook;l v f The note book is turned in and bookkeepers and clerks in the loffice transfer the record 'to statement sheets, which are printed substantially in triplicate', so that the 'triplication ofthe showing on' the` statement? sheets has tofbe secured by writing the suitable inserts on three' sheets or three portions' of a sheet or' by'nsing carbons. @ne portion is for the companyI record,- one' for the cusltorner"s record, and one lfor the customer to return to the company witlrhi's payment.

'Ilhe Alatter two portions, vattached to- 'g'ethe'r,` which form ay statement, are' then sent tothe customer. y l l 'In a city like' Ghica'gmwhere the gas company' has something like five hundred thousand` customers, this: involves the reading of 4tive' "hundied thousand meters and the recording of the' readings; in' a notebook, and

the copyingof the records and read-ings fon 'statements in' triplicate. These statements must include the name land address' ofthe ,"customer. i

`company and soon. The columns B are at There may be additional columns.

The statements are then mailed to the A customer, involving an expense fof not less than `five cents each, for postage, envelopes, paper, printing and clerical work, in addition to the .time of the meter readers. J

I have provided asian article of manufacture, a peculiar form of sheet, shown forinstance in Figure 2, and also illustrated in Figurel. v I have indicated the sheet generally by' the reference character A. `Between .the ends of the sheet, I provide columns of ce1- tain indicating characters, indicated generally at B. The sheet is divided lintoithree parts indicated at l and 11 and 12,*each of' which may have characters showing the name, address, meter reading and such otherinformation, as is ordinarily given Von the' bills of a gas company, electric` light the commonmargins of; the parts and 1l. At the free end o'f the p'ortion`A` 12am columnsof characters C.y l

- These sheets aredesigned to be used by the meter reader. Namesy anfdaddresses `can be filled in before he starts on his trip or otherwise, as maybe convenient; 1 The characters in the columns B on the obverse side of each sheet .are preferably arranged substantially as shown in Figure 2. In the columns are characters showing the amountof' commodity sold, as for instance' cubic feet of gas'.- f Oney or more columns `are provided,- and in these columns in a verticalarrangement, I provide successively increasing amounts,

representing the quantityY of the commodity.

The amounts are arranged in sets of duplicates. lFor instance, at'thebottom-of the right-hand column B, I place 100 and immediately above that 100. Next above, I place 200 andy `then above that 20,1%

e duplicate figures of each set in each column are arranged substantially parallel with the figures of sets in the `other columns. Thus at the bottom of theright-hand column B is the set'representing theflOO cubic feet ;-A at thebottom of the next column -to the v`left `is the set representing 900 cubic Jfeet. f'

rlhe corresponding sets 'of-` the respective columns may be inclined somewhat from horizontal, as shown in Figurey 2, which is for convenience in cutting, which latter operation is hereinafter descrbedw I preferably arrange dividing lines between columns and between sets of characters, which may be perforated, scored or simply marked, as at 4:0, for convenience in separating the sheet into two parts.

It will be seen that by dividing the portions 10 and 11 of the sheet A along proper vertical and cross lines, as illustrated at D in Figure 2, the two parts 10 and 11 will each have a margin indicating that the eut or tear has been made, and each margin will have indicated characters showing the amountof the commodity to be indicated on the bill or receipt or other instrument.

On the reverse side of the sheet A are columns B arranged exactly opposite to the columns B. In the columns B in successively increasing amounts are figures or characters representing the money charged for the quantity of the commodity represented by the characters in the columns B.

For example, if the charge made by a gas company is ten cents per hundred feet, the `figures on the back of the sheet A and immediately under the characters in the lower space of the right-hand column B would' be figures representing ten cents; and assuming that the cost increases at the rate of ten cents per hundred, the figures on the back of the sheet A will be correspondingly arranged so that, for instance, if the sheet A is cut as shown in Fig. 3, it will show at the cut margin on the reverse side on both portions 10 and 11, figures representing $0.40 or the charge for 400'cubic feet of the product. Similarly on the obverse side at the out margins of both portions, adjacent to the line of severance, will appear 1200 representing quantity of product.

Thus assuming that the portion 10 is retained in the book for the company and that the portion 11 is intended for the rcustomer to keep, it will be obvious that adjacent to the severed edge of the companys portion and the customers portion on the obverse side of the sheet along the lines of severance will appear the amount or quantity of the commodity sold.

On the reverse side, similarly located, will appear the price or cost of such amount.

It is usually a desirable custom to provide three substantially triplicate portions of such a document as that herein under consideration, the third being the portion 12, which is for the customer to send to the company with his check. I therefore arrange adjacent to the free edge of the portion 12, the columns C and C on the obverse and reverse sides respectively of the sheet. On the reverse side of the sheet for instance, the characters are arranged so that when the member 12 is folded over the member 11, as illustrated in Figure 1, the characters in the columns C will be substantially in regl istry with the same characters in the columns C of characters representing the cost or price of the quantity or amount represented by the characters in columns C; thus the quantity characters on the portion 12 are on the same side of the sheet as the value characters on the portions 10 and 11, and similarly the value characters on the portion 12 are on the same side of the sheet as the quantity characters on the portions 10 and 11, so that the various characters on the portion 12 register with the characters on the portions 10 and 11 where the portion 12 is folded over for cutting ofi'.

I preferably use some instrument, such as the cutter blade 13 to sever the sheets, and it will be noted that when the portion 12 is folded over or under the portion 11 and the extreme edge of the portion 12 is brought to register' with the left-hand limit of the columns B, the corresponding figures in the columns C will be superposed over similar figures in the columns B and the two portions of the sheet may be severed at one operation, thereby leaving at the free edge of the portion 12 adjacent to the severed part on the obverse side of the sheet, figures representing the value of the purchase and on the reverse side, figures representing the quantity or amount of the purchase.

I preferably provide between the portions 11 and 12 a weakened line 14, which may be scored or perforated.

It will, of course, be observed that I have shown certain arrangements on the sheet simply for convenience sake, and that the arrangement could be somewhat varied without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention.

For instance, the sheets shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be bound along the edge E for keeping the sheets and the portions 10 in a condition for the company-to preserve.

It is obvious that either side of the sheet may be considered the upper side.

Itis also obvious that the sheets may be bound in loose leaf form.

The use of such a device as this has a great many advantages.

It makes for accuracy on the part of the meter reader for the reason that his mistakes, if any, are much more likely to be discovered than if they were made in the ordinary note book. This is true, because he has to put the reading down in triplicate on the portions 10, 11 and 12, and because he then has to cheek his work by dividing the sheet on the proper lines. The figures in the margin must correspond to the other parts of the record. All three records must agree or the mistake will be obvious. Furthermore, the meter reader knows that the customer, having the bill on the day the reading is taken, can check the bill with the meter and determine whether the reading was correct or not. The customer has the bill sooner than would otherwise be the case, and when the meter reader turns in his book, the companys record is complete, and the company is saved the large expense of preparing triplicate statements and mailing them to the customer.

Following the instance above-mentioned, it will be seen that a company like the gas company of Chicago would save a large sum each month in clerical work, postage and envelopes.

Some changes may be made in the arrangement of the various parts of my plural record device Without departing from the essential features and purposes of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified Yforms of structure, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a device of the class described, a sheet comprising three portions, two of said portions having adjacent their line of .connection a column of duplicate sets of characters, the third portion having on its reverse face at its free end a corresponding column of characters, whereby when the third portion is folded over the intermediate portion the characters thereon may be superposed on the first described column of characters and the sheet may be severed on lines between the duplicate characters of the first described column and between the duplicate characters of the second described column at one operation.

2. In a device of the class described, a sheet having three portions, the obverse face of two portions having a column of characters arranged in duplicates indicating amounts in one unit of measurement, and on the reverse face a column of characters a1'- ranged in duplicates indicating amounts, the

characters on the obverse face having a def-v inite location and relation with reference to the characters on the reverse face, said third portion having adjacent its free edge on its obverse face a column of characters similar to said second column and on its reverse face a column of characters similar. to said first column, whereby when the third portion is folded over the intermediate portion, like characters will be superposed over like characters and the sheet may be severed on lines between duplicate sets of characters for leaving triplicate ends, each having adjacent its line of severance, characters on both faces like those of the other portions.

Des Moines, Iowa, February 12, 1923.

JOI-IN F. SHOEMAKER. 

